§§^^^»¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨»^^^§§
@@§**»¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨»**§@@
@§^»¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨»^§@
##@@§*^*». .»*^*§@@##
#@@§*^*».¨ ¨.»*^*§@@#
@§^*.¨¨¨¨¨ gray skies, swirling with soot. stony ¨¨¨¨¨.*^§@
@@@§*^*».¨ ground with no hints of vegetation. ¨.»*^*§@@@
§^»¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨»^§
§^^^*»¨¨¨¨ below the surface are the mines, ¨¨¨¨»*^^^§
@@@§*^*».¨ spiraling down into the crust. small ¨.»*^*§@@@
§§§*^^*».¨ compared to the caverns they eventually ¨.»*^^*§§§
@@@§*^*».¨ reach and join with. the temperature is ¨.»*^*§@@@
#@@§*^*».¨ higher down here, and the view is not ¨.»*^*§@@#
#@@§*^*».¨ as monochrome: a green light beckons ¨.»*^*§@@#
#@@§*^*».¨ from below. ¨.»*^*§@@#
§****».¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.»****§
§§§§*^*».¨ long ago, there was a lifeform here. in ¨.»*^*§§§§
§*^*»¨¨¨¨¨ the center of the planetoid, something ¨¨¨¨¨»*^*§
#@@§*^*».¨ dormant, waiting for a collision with ¨.»*^*§@@#
§§^^^»¨¨¨¨ another body. but no planet was ¨¨¨¨»^^^§§
#@@§*^*».¨ reached, and over time, the seedling ¨.»*^*§@@#
##@@§^*».¨ became a sludge. ¨.»*^§@@##
@@@§*^*».¨ ¨.»*^*§@@@
##@§*^*».¨ and elves came as miners, and the ¨.»*^*§@##
##@@*^*».¨ sludge was bottled. ¨.»*^*@@##
§^»»»».¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.»»»»^§
@**...¨¨¨¨ ######################################## ¨¨¨¨...**@
#@@§*^*».¨ # # ¨.»*^*§@@#
@§*^^*.¨¨¨ # #@#@@@§@§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§@§@@@#@# # ¨¨¨.*^^*§@
##@§*^*».¨ # @ @ # ¨.»*^*§@##
@**^».¨¨¨¨ @ @ @@@§^§^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^§^§@@@ @ @ ¨¨¨¨.»^**@
@@****»¨¨¨ @ @ @ @ @ @ ¨¨¨»****@@
§§§^^*.¨¨¨ @ @ @ the cargo ship is filled, @ @ @ ¨¨¨.*^^§§§
#@@§*^*».¨ * @ @ prepared for launch, @ @ * ¨.»*^*§@@#
§§^»»»¨¨¨¨ ^ @ @ ignition sequence started @ @ ^ ¨¨¨¨»»»^§§
#@@§*^*».¨ * § @ hours ago. elves in the @ § * ¨.»*^*§@@#
§§§§*^*».¨ * ^ § passenger cabin, not yet § ^ * ¨.»*^*§§§§
@§^^*..¨¨¨ » * § seated. but something is § * » ¨¨¨..*^^§@
@@@§*^*».¨ » » * wrong. there is something * » » ¨.»*^*§@@@
#@@§*^*».¨ . . ^ green around their mouths. ^ . . ¨.»*^*§@@#
@***.¨¨¨¨¨ . . * the sludge has been sampled, * . . ¨¨¨¨¨.***@
#@@§*^*».¨ . . » entertained, and then » . . ¨.»*^*§@@#
@§§^**»¨¨¨ . . . finally binged on. . . . ¨¨¨»**^§§@
@§§§*^*».¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨.»*^*§§§@
§^*.¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ the engines are burning hot, ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨.*^§
§§*^»»»¨¨¨ and the ship accelerates ¨¨¨»»»^*§§
§^^**.¨¨¨¨ away. the elves have ¨¨¨¨.**^^§
@@@§*^*».¨ strapped themselves in, and ¨.»*^*§@@@
§§^^».¨¨¨¨ are lying completely still, ¨¨¨¨.»^^§§
#@@§*^*».¨ like corpses. ¨.»*^*§@@#
##@@§*^*»¨ ¨»*^*§@@##
@@***^*».¨ ¨.»*^***@@
@@@§*^*».¨ ¨.»*^*§@@@
@@@§*^*».¨ ¨.»*^*§@@@
##@@§**».¨ ¨.»**§@@##